entries Tagged as [design history]

Walker: Snake Oil, bears with guns

‘Imagine what it must have been like for those living in America’s eastern cities to hear tales from the Western Frontier  . . .  Images created by Ben Walker tell tales of mystery and excitement that make the ladies squeal with fear and delight as their men quietly slip away to buy passage to The West.’

It all started with a bear and a gun – which was the most dangerous thing Walker would set out to draw. These became icons for Walker, who went on to become an Illustrator of The Great West, spending time on the Ponderosa and a long haul in Sacramenty.

Ben Walker is now based out of San Francisco.

Check out his website here, art and prints available here. Snake Oil Clothing here.

The Danny J. Gibson Show

‘For a decade, Danny created art for musicians – album covers, event posters, and logos, among others. Now those artists are paying tribute to Danny with a free, downloadable 35-song album titled ‘DJG Was Here.”

Danny J. Gibson’s been a friend for years – and he’s one of the most prolific, experimental artist/designers I know. In a few days Quietly Contributing – Poster Art of DJG Design will open at the 1819 Event Space + Gallery in Kansas City.

More details here. Snag the free album here (please use the tip jar).

Article here. And visit Danny’s site here.

Höch 1920

The work of Hannah Höch, Tailor’s Flower, 1920.


Yan Saquet: Les Djinns (Trentemøller Remix)

Found via Venetian Red

Project Runway 9, Forever Darling 4

‘One of them just walked off the show and the other just dropped dead.’ -said my wife, Thursday night

Something interesting happened this week on Project Runway. And it wasn’t Cecilia throwing in the towel or Oliver collapsing on a track at the Armory. Nor was it the general bitchiness from teams Joshua or Anthony Ryan.

Heidi Klum actually gave the designers MORE TIME to complete their work. And for the first time this season, I was able to see what I came for: Some good fashion design. Not great, but good.

(Okay, the first challenge was really good, but there was a drop off after that)

A dark cloud of schadenfreude seems to be the Project Runway modus operandi this time out – and frankly, I’m not enjoying it very much. Sadism on tee vee, not a big draw for me.

The Project Runway formula is the same as usual: Take some great talent, surprise them with challenges within a quick time frame, and see what they can do.

Only so far, all we’ve been able to really see are some harebrained stunts for the designers to work with (models on stilts, really??), insane time limits, near nervous breakdowns, panic attacks, Nina saying ‘no’ a whole lot. This show that has become legendary for showcasing incredible designers and pushing careers forward had devolved into Project Sweatshop. Workflow of getting things done over getting things done well. [Read more →]

Högt Spel 1931

Poster for No Limit (1931) – featuring original ‘It Girl’ Clara Bow.


The Shocking Blue: Venus (Alex Dias Remix)

Coty 1938

The work of Charles Loupot, advertisement for Coty, 1938.


The Burning Hotels: Stuck in the Middle (Baron Von Luxxury Controls Everything Remix)

Barradas 1927

The work of Jorge Barradas, from ABC Illustration No. 362, June 23 1927.


Baron Von Luxxury: The Lovely Theresa

Found via Gatochy

Cocain 1921

Illustration for F.W.Koebner’s original Das Magazin, Berlin 1921.


Soundshaperz: Cocaine (Original Mix)

Found via Susanlenox

‘Not what she would have wanted’

Coco? Are you out there?

Chanel shop, London, 2009.

Found via Self Interest and Sympathy

Russian Coke

Art Nouveau meets Russian Constructivism. Motion design by Matt Duplessie.

Eastern Block

‘A typeface designed to reflect the aesthetic qualities of Soviet Union product design and manufacture. The typeface uses a unilateral x-height, cap height and faux Cyrillic to create a blocky, angular and awkward response. To allude to the dated methods of production, I produced the entire face as printing blocks.’

Andy Barnes’ Eastern Block typeface. Website here.

Found via Arts Thread


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